Transparent reporting helps charities rebuild trust and confidence with the public

Prime Minister Theresa May last month outlined a vision for a ‘Shared Society’ in a speech given to the Charity Commission. As a result, charity leaders are urging government to work in tandem with charities to deliver it. One of the ways they plan to do this is by promoting the positive impact charities have on society and encouraging charities to have as much transparency as possible with the public in order to build trust and confidence.

Every day, charities spend £136.4 million – equivalent to £1,578 per second – improving lives and supporting communities.

There are more than 160,000 charities in England and Wales. The largest six per cent of these alone spend £49.8 billion a year on delivering services and supporting causes. Much of this is only possible due to the generosity of public donations, and charities putting those funds to the best possible use.

With more than 4 in 5 people (83%) having benefited from a charity service in the past year, the role of charities, how they are run and the way in which they are regulated are never far from the spotlight.

Setting minimum standards

Paula Sussex (Chief Executive of the Charity Commission) spoke at the Fundraising and Regulatory Compliance Conference this week, stating that charities must operate way and above the law as a minimum standard.

Appco UK Director of Operations Graham Bunce is a member of the Institute of Fundraising’s Standards Advisory Board, advising on issues around best practice in fundraising. He says: “By setting minimum standards that operate above the legal requirement where possible, charities will help restore public trust and confidence. Appco UK has always contributed to and worked on setting and maintaining standards within charitable fundraising, with a commitment to ensuring that fundraising is respectful, open, honest and fully accountable to the public.”

Public understanding

ACEVO, the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), the Institute of Fundraising and CharityComms published a report, called ‘Charity Today’ aimed at giving people a better understanding of the contribution made to public life by charities as well as giving an insight into how they operate and how they are changing.

Managing Director of Global Fundraising Services, Ben Oliver says: “This report is an important step forward to start educating the public and media on what impact charities have on the society we live in – and what effect charities have on our everyday lives.

“The charitable sector – and, more specifically, fundraising – has gone through its biggest reform this century. Therefore, it’s more important now, more than ever, for all charities to support and explain the fundraising methods they choose and demonstrate the impact those methods have on their ability to do their invaluable work.”